#i think that's obvious from my post but. yeah.

[martiansodas-blog]

too pretty to think.

when art started to slip, it almost felt like falling asleep…

a. donaldson x reader

word count: 2,216

contents: dumbification, body worship, face sitting, multiple orgasms, cuming untouched, brief mommy kink, subspace, nicknames and pet names, this is freak nasty.

Xx

The first time 

You and Art have been going steady for 6 months and you loved every second of it. the two of you mostly hung out at your place, it's a tad cleaner than his dorm and he never bothered with things like decorations. It was a haven for the both of you. So when your Blackberry buzzed with a message asking,

“r u home?” 

It was hardly out of the ordinary.

“yeah. just changed clothes”

“can i come over?”

“of course”

Donaldson is a man who never knows when to quit. Let's rephrase: He’ll only quit when instructed to. 

He treats his body like a machine. He eats what his nutritionist tells him to, he pushes his body to the limit, and he rarely turns in a paper late. 

When you opened your front door your boyfriend was in chaotic ruins. His eyes were puffy and his cheeks were stained. He stared at the floor with his calloused hands in his pockets.

“Oh my gosh, what happened?? What’s wrong?”

Your tone had urgency as you ushered him inside. Once the door is closed he pulls you in for a hug. You don’t dare speak, just hug back. He’ll tell you when he’s ready. 

It’s obvious he’s trying to hold himself together, but stroking his back caused him to break.

“Aw, baby,” 

You sway him from side to side. 

“Shh, it’s ok. I’m here.”

After a few minutes, Art regained control of his breathing. You put him at arm's length—your voice just above a whisper. 

“Would you like to come lay down with me? We don’t have to talk about it if you don't want to, let's just get you comfortable.”

Art sniffles and nods his head—your poor baby. 

You held his hand and led the way to your room. You sat on your bed with your back against the wall so he could lay between your legs. He often takes this position when you guys are watching movies so it will add a level of comfort for him. 

Art takes some deep breaths as you run your nails through his hair. 

“We got a new coach and he- he’s so intense. I don’t know. I’ve been berated by coaches since I was 13. Why the hell is this one affecting me differently?” 

You twist one of his curls in your fingers. 

“Everything's just so much right now. Schoolwork, post-graduation plans, sponsorships… There's so much going on all the time. I- I can’t do it.” 

Your heart broke for him. 

“I’m so sorry, Artie. I wish I could take it all away from you.”

You rubbed his arms and back for who knows how long. It could have been hours. You didn’t care. You’d cancel your week's agenda if that’s what he needed. You weren’t getting up until he felt better. 

You analyzed his words.

“It’s not that you’re unable to make decisions, and it’s not that you make bad decisions. It’s just that decisions are constant unrelenting work… is that an accurate assessment?”

He nodded and sighed into your shirt like you were the one person in the world who understood him. 

“...And a good boy like you should never have to work.” 

Art froze. 

Well, that’s new. 

You decided to test the waters further and put on your most sultry voice. 

“Don’t worry baby, I’ll think for you.” 

He let out a sound that can only be described as a mewl. His body curled into a semi-circle. 

You swept some hair out of his eyes, they seemed to get droopier.

I don't know what exactly is transpiring he’s responding to it.

“Let your thoughts go. You don’t need them.” 

Eyes are fully closed now.

“Can you unclench your jaw for me? That’s it.”

He does as he's told, falling deeper into whatever hollow you're creating. He bites back a smile but his blush is evident. So easy to get him to blush. One of his cutest attributes.

Next step is Moving your handsome boy to lay on his stomach so you can rub his shoulders. You hear him sigh while the tension is worked out of his muscles and watch him relax under your hands. 

Walking him through some deep breaths while you place dozens of soft, light kisses on his neck. 

You want to make him understand what a privilege it is to have him.

Rubbing his thighs and calves, slowly melting away the stress of the day. Kisses on the backs of his knees while he laughs and tells you to stop that and that it tickles.

Helping him turn over to lie on his back and climbing carefully on top to straddle him.

You toy with the hem of his shirt. 

“Can I take this off?”

He looks up at you. mouth open and nods. 

It causes you to giggle. 

“Thank you.” 

Once that’s out of the way your hands wander up to his chest while trailing more impossibly light kisses down his Adam's apple. Massaging his chest, squeezing and grabbing and just feeling his skin. 

Kissing his collarbones, trailing your tongue along the dip where they meet under his neck. Slowly working that boy up with teasing touches that only get more and more unbearable.

Slowly returning to his lips to kiss him again while you reach down to trail your fingertips over his cock. He pants and whines so sweetly into your mouth while you play with his cock. You're not even trying to make him cum-- not yet. 

I could do this all day. 

Letting him drift in a fuzzy-headed space while you work your fingers soft and slow over his pants. Doesn't need to worry about anything but your hands on his body. You're right here to keep him safe and make him feel good.

“There's nothing I love more than watching my brilliant, polite, well-spoken boyfriend turn mindless.” 

Art whined and bucked his hips up to meet your hand.

“I need to be in you so bad. Please.”

Who are you to refuse him?

“Don't worry baby, I’ll give you what you want.” 

You slid off him and he reached for you, like he couldn’t stand you being an inch away for any amount of time. You chuckled and took off your bottoms and underwear, he copied. 

You hopped back on top of him, which made him break out into a smile. His girl was about to take care of him. 

You grabbed his cock and started stroking him. 

“I don’t know if I’m wet enough, Artie.”

“Sitonmyface.” He begged all in one breath. 

You bit your lip so as not to laugh at him. It wasn’t in a mean way, no no! He was just so excited about it. It’s adorable and flattering all at the same time.

“Are you sure? We’ve never done that before.”

We haven’t done a lot of this before. 

He shamelessly nodded. Grabbing your waist with both hands and shifting your body up before you could protest. 

“I don’t want to crush you.”

At this point, he was panting. A dog seconds away from getting a treat. 

“You won’t.” 

Art has eaten you out before, and it’s been wonderful. But this? This is a new kind of ecstasy. 

His tongue reaches new trenches. 

And that fucking nose. It bumped your clit every time. You were gasping and making noises you didn’t know were possible. His mouth is memorizing your folds. He's getting off on your arousal.  His tip is red and hurting, but can barely care when a taste crafted just for him is on his lips. 

“Shit. Just like that.” 

Your thighs trapped his face, your breath hitched with every thrust, and your walls clenched around his tongue. 

“Oh god, oh god,” 

Truthfully, Art didn't know which of you came first. 

The only thing he knew was your body. 

You shuffled down and kissed all over his face which was covered in your release. 

“You made mommy feel so good.”

He smiled up at you. He was so proud that he could do that for you. Like it was his purpose in life. And oh did he love that nickname. It made him feel all soft, like when you recall a fond memory. 

“Do you want Mommy to sit on your cock?” 

He whimpered and nodded. 

You lined yourself up with him and sank. It was so easy due to both of your juices, you had to concentrate on lowering slowly so he didn’t bottom out too fast. 

The two of you moaned in unison. It was almost tantric. Even though the focus here is on Art, it’s impossible not to feel the same pleasure. It wasn’t just your sexualities that were aligned but your souls. The love you felt for each other was palpable. 

It didn’t take long for him to bottom out. But it wasn’t enough. You ground your hips into him, causing his voice to raise an octave. 

“Oh fuck. Hnnn! Fuck, feels so good, please.”

He was babbling nonsense, unable to create cohesive thoughts or keep any sounds in. 

You remove his hands clutching the sheets and replace them with your own. To bring him back to earth. 

When he couldn’t get enough he bucked his hips up into yours. Moving aimlessly, mindlessly. You held his hips down to the mattress and bounced on his dick. The sounds of his cock hitting your weeping entrance were insanely beautiful and sinful to listen to. 

“Such a good boy.” 

His dick jumped inside of you at that. Seemingly of its own volition. 

You shifted to pepper kisses on his jawline. The new position forced his cock to rub all kinds of new places. You nearly collapsed onto him from the shock. Heavy exhales leave your mouth. Your pussy suffocates his cock. 

“My good boy. Just a dumb little thing for me to use isn't that right.”

Art came on the spot. No warning. His skin flushed and curls were damp on his forehead. Words were coiled at his throat, coming out as broken sobs, wanting more. 

You rode him until it was clear he'd finished. 

“Did you cum for me, baby?”

“Yes. I'm sorry I should’ve said something I couldn't help it. Felt too good, I didn’t -“

“Shh sweetheart, you did nothing wrong. You can cum in me as many times as you like. That's what I’m here for. That’s what this,” you clenched around him, “is for.” 

“Fuck.” his breath quivering. He arched his back, sensitive little thing. 

“I love it when you spill yourself into me. it’s so warm in here now.” 

You placed his hand on your lower stomach, your womb. 

“Can we go again please?”

“Are you sure? I don't want to push you.”

He shuffled so you were both sitting up. causing you to gasp. His erection never left, and it’s ever so prevalent right now. 

“Please! Wanna keep myself buried here forever.” 

It was hard to remain the level-headed one after hearing that. 

“You make me so wet when you say that, Artie.” 

There's drool coming from his mouth as he watches you talk. Nothing behind those eyes.

“So wet and needy.” 

You soften your voice, and when you talk it’s into his mouth. 

“You gonna let me take you again?”

He groaned and nodded, then ferociously kissed you. He wrapped his strong arms around your torso and immediately disliked how much fabric was between the two of you. He ripped your t-shirt and sports bra off in nearly one motion. Sighing when he felt skin on skin.

“I’m going to play with you until there's nothing in that head except my name.”

And you did. You fucked him till his brain turned to mush. Till it felt so good he thought he was going crazy, till he couldn’t even hear how loud he was being. Just blissed out being pulled back into your cunt. 

What an honor, to have such an obedient, adoring boy like him. 

You let him stay like that, floaty and sweet until he fell asleep to whispered praises. 

“My good boy. You did such a good job for me.”

A kiss to his forehead. 

“You know I love you so much.”

Tucked under the covers.

“So good for me, honey. You're okay. I'm proud of you. You're all mine, and I'm all yours.”

You raked your nails along his back.

“Relax, It'll all be there for you tomorrow. But for right now, all you need to be is my good, sweet boy. And you are.”

You moved off the bed which concerned Art. 

“Are you leaving?” 

He looked like he could cry. You cradled his face. 

“No baby boy, of course not. I’m only getting you some water. I’ll be right back” 

You spoke to him like a child bedridden with a cold. It was clear the comedown was something intense and never experienced before. He needed you next to him right now.

“Alright lovely, I know you’re tired but have a few drinks of this for me.”

You guided the water bottle into his mouth till you were satisfied with the amount he got in his system. 

“Rest now. I’ll cuddle you.” 

The blonde fell asleep immediately in your embrace and you hoped it wouldn't be the last time you took his thoughts away.

#lapdog agenda #art donaldson #challengers #art donaldson fanfic #art donaldson smut #art donaldson fic #art donaldson x reader #art donaldson x you #art donaldson dumbification #sub art donaldson

[novalizinpeace]

we reached half of the year ladies and gentleman

let make a summary of events here

First the obvious, the blackouts hadn't stopped, and at this point i stopped trying to work in the Au since half may 'cause i was getting frustrated by how much process i was losing, yeah, 'm still thinking in work on it, i practically have all 5 chapters of the ARG fully write and the full season of the critters cartoon also write, 'm not losing my work 'cause my country's electrical system is shit.

Funny enough, due all the time that had passed and me still drawing others things to calm myself from the stress, my art style had improve since then, so you all are gonna probably see a little change in some design, not big thing, just my style got more firm on some parts

Second, things on my home hadn't been great, i don't want to explain all the drama i had here like last time, so 'm going to resume it:

Basically, i had been trying to save for a new computer since the one i got (that was old and used when i got it, but better that my last one) is starting to give me a lot of problems, and i almost got my goal with all the commisions i had been doing lately (and thanks to a really amazing donation i got in ko-fi, Nadd if you're reading this your donation make me cry, i swear 'm going to do something big for you, 'm just still thinking what, your big support deserve something as big)

But then a operation my mom was supposed to get on 31th got reschendule due a problem with some tests, and now she had to retake those tests, the cost of more medicaments, more revisions...

Basically, i gave my mom almost all my saving to ensure she get her operation done this month, and now i barely have for my own monthly medicaments, even less a new computer.

So, i have some YCHs prepare for this month to get my saving back up quickly, my plan was to keep trying work in the Aus, but if i end up without computer, there's no way i get to work in anything anymore. If everything goes right 'm gonna post them tomorrow, so stay tune for it.

BTW, during all this there's special posts schendule in the other blog, back in april i actually planned all this month, since the original plan was to post the Au during may and work in commisions during june, there's some drawings schendule in there to keep the other blog moving, i didn't expected to no been able to make chapter 3 on may, but at least past me prepared something for the rainy days.

So, in resume, this month is kinda chaotic for me, more that usually is (the people that know me knows that this specific month is always hell to me), but 'm going to do my best to keep moving, thanks everybody for still support me even when i hadn't been active this whole past month, i promise 'm going to do my best to keep giving you all good times here. Now let survive this month together.

#this count as a vent? #idk how to tag this #nova is working hard

[burningvelvet]

I finished Moby Dick. So, to continue my former post(s) documenting my thoughts, here we are (spoilers ahead):

captain ahab: i am once again asking hast thou seen the white whale

Narrator, for the 5 millionth time describing captain ahab: "MONOMANIACAL. MONOMANIAC. MONOMANIA."

I was thinking "the homosexual themes everyone talks about are really exaggerated apparently…" and then I got to the chapter about sperm squeezing

Stubb meeting with the French in chap 91 had the exact vibe of a filler episode on a comedy sitcom

there are a lot of moments that reminded me of The Office ngl like i could just imagine stubb in the little interview chair just talking. so much meme material. he's seriously just doing his own thing. the little random characters like the blacksmith and carpenter just talking shit and side-eyeing ahab in the background lmaoooo

Saint George didn't kill a dragon, it was a whale #THETRUTHREVEALED #WHALETRUTHERS

It would have been hilarious if the British people told Ahab that they already killed Moby Dick already before he could get to it. I was so hoping that would happen. Bonus points if it was the Rachel after he'd turned them away.

Ahab discusses the topic of madness a lot. It's almost like he's… mad...

I vote Ahab for the most Byronic hero to ever Byronic… Heathcliff and Rochester have nothing on him… The origin of the Byronic hero, Byron's titular character from the narrative poem Childe Harold, is literally mentioned by name in the novel and had to be a blatant inspiration - it could not be more obvious! (I have yet to encounter the famed Byronic heroes of Russian literature, most notably Eugene Onegin, a work where Byron is also blatantly name-dropped).

Everyone thinking Queequeg was dying and having a coffin made to his measurements and filled with grave goods at his direction and then him literally climbing into the coffin to test it out and then waiting silently to die…. then all of a sudden getting better and saying he chose to recover bc he remembered he had something on his to-do list….. iconic

Ishmael referring to Queequeg as "my Queequeg…" omg. Queerqueg

Queequeg drawing figures like the ones on his tattoos omg… au story where Queequeg is an artist/tattoo artist when???

I was literally saying "AWWWWW" out loud when Ahab and Pip were having their little moments

The irony of Ahab abandoning the Rachel then it coming back for Ishmael… the coffin lifeboat… etc… good stuff…

okay ahab is my man but yeah he was an asshole to the captain of rachel.

also feel bad for tashtego. he wanted that gold doubloon so bad and ahab was like SIKE, MOTHERFUCKER! umm tashtego did not get cut out of a whale by queequeg to deal with ur shit ahab!

Once again wanting a Black Sails/Moby Dick AU… I found this essay about the similarities between Flint/Ahab https://ijms.nmdl.org/article/view/22389/14361

They only have like 2-3 little moments together but like… Starbuck/Ahab kind of outdoing Ishmael/Queequeg there for a moment… chaps 132/134… oh my godddddddddddddd whyyyyyyy

Captain Ahab's moments in chapters 36/37 AAAAAHHHHH you will see me being normal about this

I noted some of my favorite Ahab moments/chapters and they are 36/37/41/70/99/108/109/113/115/116/119/125/129/132/134/135. Like I may seriously just re-read those chapters (no offense to Melville's whale facts, Stubb's jokes, & Pip's insanity)

the end is kind of similar to the great gatsby in the sense that you finally realize the entire novel was actually written for him to cope with his grief-related trauma & then suddenly it all makes sense. the lingering, the sentimentality regarding seemingly insignificant details or people, the meandering/digressing/procrastinating getting to the end, etc.

there are actually several moments -- i don't know if he actually referred to ahab or the others in past-tense specifically, but there were several moments where i felt like i kind of thought he was giving away the end before he did (it wasn't a shock to me bc i read about the end prior, but still)

#moby dick #herman melville #my reviews #reading opinions #book thoughts #book opinions #american literature #english literature #literature #lit #classic literature #captain ahab #melville #books #reviews #bookblr #spoilers #moby dick spoilers

[phantomgrimalkin]

@moonwatermicrofics Day 22, Prompt: Pain Soulmate Shadow AU-  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 Word count: 460, Rating: G

It was not as obvious for the first years that an upperclassman disappeared with regularity. What Regulus noticed, was the times that Remus would need a cane, when he winced as he moved. This took up about one week every month, as the moon approached fullness and then waned. Despite being more tuned into the full moon due to the lycanthropic nature of his soulmate, that alone may not have been enough for Regulus to realize.

But Remus was Sirius’s besf friend and Severus kept hissing about his suspicions, so Regulus noticed. By Halloween Regulus was pulling his brother into an empty classroom.

“Your friend is a werewolf, isn’t he?” Regulus hissed softly, despite being hidden behind the privacy charms they’d learned from their family, which the Ministry itself couldn’t hope to infiltrate.

Sirius had gone pale, rubbed his face with his hands, and nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Regulus asked, feeling hurt. They used to be so close, it felt like it was the two of them against hte world. Then Sirius had gone to Hogwarts, found his bloody soulmate and now he was keeping secrets like this.

“It wasn’t my secret to tell,” Sirius said quietly, “I didn’t tell him that your soulmate is a werewolf, either, I couldn’t justify telling you.”

“Couldn’t- I mean-” Regulus blushed, crossing his arms, “Did you not consider he could be…?” he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Sirius shook his head, “He doesn’t have a soulmate. His shadow is his own profile. He thought it was a werewolf thing- I accidentally revealed I knew someone whose soulmate is a werewolf…” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Oh,” Regulus said quietly, blinking as his eyes suddenly began stinging and he felt an awful, sinking in his stomach, “That’s awful.” 

“Yeh,” Sirius agreed, “Happens sometimes, doesn’t it? Shame, really, he’s a pretty nice bloke… Definitely deserves a soulmate more than bloody Lucius…” he wrinkled his nose in distaste at the thought of the pompous Malfoy heir who was soulmate to, and utterly besotted with, their cousin Narcissa.

“Mm,” Regulus agreed, then shook himself, because it didn’t matter, “Does it cause him pain?”

“Oh- er- yeh,” Sirius said, wincing, “He, erm, well, he’s kept somewhere safe, so he can’t hurt anyone else- but the wolf hurts itself and the transformation’s pretty bad and, ehm, he got bit on the hip so that injury affects how he walks…” he shrugged and looked down, “He probably wouldn’t like me telling you that. But. Yeah. He spends a few days in the Hospital Wing each month.”

“That’s awful,” Regulus said, thinking about his own soulmate, realizing whoever it was likely suffered the same way. He swallowed thickly and Sirius hugged him.

“I know,” Sirius said sadly, squeezing Regulus close, “Madam Pomfrey does her best...“ he sighed, “I don’t know what to do for him.”

Regulus nodded, clinging to his brother, cursing the unfairness of the situation.

Next Part ((I've tagged all these posts with #soulmate shadow au so hopefully you can find them more easily!))

#remus lupin #harry potter fanfiction #marauders #sirius black #regulus black #regulus x remus #moonwater #remus x regulus #black brothers #moonwatermicrofics #soulmate shadow au

[wherebettertoescape]

Thoughts on The Outsiders Album

Okay, as I said yesterday, I have a LOT of thoughts on the album and I decided to revive this page so I stop bothering everyone IRL with my thoughts about it 😂 I figure there must be a good amount of people on tumblr who are down to listen to my rants about the album, so here goes.

I'll put it under a cut so there aren't any spoilers for anyone who hasn't listened yet, and I know there's one or two things which I've heard about the prouction via other posts and such. But I will stress that I haven't actually seen it, I've only listened to the album and obsessed over it 😂

It's also below the cut because it's fucking LOOOOONG

Please reply to this or send in your own thoughts - I have so much I want to talk about to do with this album and I'm like... shaking with the need to talk about it with people who actually want to listen 😂

(sad times living in the UK 🥲)

I'm gonna go through the album sequentially, like track by track, because that feels like the thing to do, even though I will say right off that I definitely have more thoughts about some tracks than others. And I will also give my favourite line from each song. But for a just, like, general overview to begin with - I love the album so much?

I will fully admit that I was kinda preparing myself for it to be bad - it's a book that I love and I wasn't the biggest fan of the movie adaptation for a few key reasons, but I was so pleasantly surprised by the musical soundtrack.

I'm in love with the style of music, I love the entire cast (all of them have such different singing voices and styles and I think that they merge together so beautifully), and it has most of the things that I love in a musical - for me, it's got the right balance of the talking sections included with the singing, as well, which I know some people aren't huge fans of, but I might be biased because Soda is and always has been my favourite character and most of the talking is by him 😂 (I love Jason Schmidt, but we'll talk about that later), and as well as that the style of music and singing like gives me a good picture of what the actual choreography might look like, which I'm obsessed with, since I probably won't get to see it unless it somehow gets to the West End (🤞🏻)

Tulsa '67

Okay so this song is just like ✨exposition ✨ but it's done in a fun way, and I've decided it's worth it just for the finale reprise

I was also like stupidly emotional the first time I heard it and it opened with the opening line of the book

I was wary because of the immediate characterisation of Sodapop as being the brother "with a broken heart" (side note - does this mean Sandy broke his heart before the show rather than after it? I've goes QUESTIONS) - I'll go into it again when we get into Grease Got a Hold for obvious reasons, but I was worried that Soda was gonna be reduced into just being a womaniser again, which is something that bothered me about the movie adaptation

Favourite line: "all the girls are pretty there, and all the guys are mean"

Grease Got a Hold

right so it has no right to be as much of a bop as it is, it's been stuck in my head for the past week since it came out and I can't even be mad about it 😂

It's essentially just a typical "gang" song to introduce and characterise all the different members

Dally always saying "Little brother" got me so emotional like immediately

And I know I just said that I was upset with Soda's characterisation as a womaniser, but considering later songs, I will say I do find it really funny that he basically just goes "yeah I'm a greaser bc I love women 😊"

I LOVE TWO-BIT MATTHEWS - I would die for Daryl Tofa, just something soooooo good about the line he gives after Soda's verse

I have to admit, I was a little worried that they were gonna be pushing some anti-Darry propaganda, but I had no cause to worry, as he's an actual angel. Also it's so funny how fucking Done he is the moment he starts speaking

Something really funny about Steve not getting a verse, but something really sad about Johnny not getting one, but I don't have fully fleshed out thoughts yet so I'm gonna leave that there

But also there's just something about all of them trying to act tough, but all of them just have the voices of angels

Favourite line: "I'm a latch-key kid but they keep changing the locks" and also "you wanna be a fighter? then know just what you're fighting for"

Runs in the Family

I'm upset because this song has been such an ear-worm for me, but it's actually just so sad? There are a couple of these, but this is one of the main ones for me

It immediately makes Darry just such a sympathetic character - it's well documented that Ponyboy doesn't feel like he's enough of a greaser, but I don't think we talk enough about Darry is a reluctant greaser

Side note: but I'm really glad that they included Darry having dropped out of school to look after Soda and Pony, because that was kinda glossed over in the movie, which I felt did Darry a disservice

I just want to hug Brent Comer and tell Darry that he's doing a good job and everything will be okay 🥲

Favourite line: "I don't know what them boys would ever do without me - and what would I do on my own?"

Great Expectations

honestly this song deserves a post all of it's own, and maybe one day I'll do a full analysis of it

but in the meantime, it's fucking GORGEOUS, like Brody Grant has NO RIGHT to sound like this I'm so mad

THE FUCKING HARMONIES I WANNA SCREAM THEY'RE SO GOOD

One of the things I've loved about the soundtrack in general is how Pony in particular draws parallels and comparrisons between Johnny and the other greasers - here it's between Darry and Johnny, and I love it because Pony references in the book that he feels like he and Johnny are the outsiders in the greasers, he feels like neither of them really belong there, and they convey that so well in the musical with these constant comparisons in the songs and music

The continual return back to this idea of a self-fulfilling prophechy - trying to prove that they're not all the same just because they're greasers (like with the different verses in Grease Got a Hold), and this striving for individuality despite the overarching label they've been given

Favourite line: "It's hard to write this story, when this story's writing me"

Friday at the Drive-in

they all just sound so young - that's my main take-away from this song

I love songs in musicals like this where you're forced to be reminded how young the characters are and you have to humanise them a bit more - a bit like with "Drink with Me" in Les Mis

Also anytime that a soundtrack includes the dance-break it makes me so happy 🥲

Favourite Line: "Got no more stress, nothing to worry me - no more teacher's pet or trigonometry"

I Could Talk to You All Night

I need to say that I love this song, but the opening from Cherry is so fucking savage - like fucking hell there's no need to do that to Pony 😂

Again obsessed with Pony not feeling like enough of a Greaser

I'm a sucker for two people who feel lost in their own worlds finding each other and bonding because they can be themselves in a way that they can never be around their other friends

It's just such a pretty duet, and I want more of Brody Grant and Emma Pittman singing - we could have a million songs of the two of them and it wouldn't be enough

Favourite line: "I'd rather read then fight a rumble, but Greasers have to go along"

Runs in the Family (Reprise)

Dude it's such a serious song, and I'm obsessed that despite that there's just Soda being a little shit in the background

"I'll fold your laundry - I'LL FOLD ALL OF IT"

I love that even in this song it's like you can tell he's just so worried about Pony but it's coming out so angry and frustrated

So full of grief for the life he almost had

He's just so angry at Pony for still being able to dream, and it's like he feels like he needs to prepare Pony for real life, because he feels like he can't dream or wish for things anymore

And then just the screeching violin at the end of the song followed by DEAD FUCKING SILENCE, and then it switches to the next song where Pony starts singing acapella it's just herugighadlsiughukdhjsak, y'know?

Favourite line: "Whats the use in dreaming, about a life I'll never know? That ship sailed long ago"

Far Away from Tulsa

okay so I've already said that I'm obsessed with it beginning with Brody Grant acapella, and I know that the songs probably don't flow straight from one to the other in the actual production, but for the sake of the cast recording the effect is incredible

But also, there was absolutely no need to make this song so gay 😂 - Ponyboy, the bisexual icon we all need

It's very reminiscent of Santa Fe, with just kids dreaming for a life that they could have outside of their big city. Especially with the line "this place is real, it's not just in my head", which is VERY similar to "just be real is all I'm asking, not some painting in my head", but I'm okay with it because Brody Grant is incredible

But that line, as well as the one "'Ponyboy you're just a dreamer', that's what both my brothers say" are also really great links back to the previous song with the references of him being a dreamer, and that being what sets him apart from the other Greasers

I also just wanna say that I think it's criminal that there weren't more Pony/Johnny duets. Sky Lakota-Lynch and Brody Grant own my soul

Also catch me being emotional over Johnny's dream being wanting a family - he doesn't realise that he's already got one in the gang 🥺 (I could write an essay about this and Dally's continued use of 'little brother')

OKAY ALSO OBSESSED WITH THE CIRCLE BACK TO GREAT EXPECTATIONS, AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT HOW THE LYRICS CHANGE FROM

"Torn between what is and what could be. It's hard to write this story when this story's writing me"

TO

"It's all becoming clear, there's no way we're gonna find that here"

GOTTA ESCAPE TULSA TO ESCAPE THEIR FATE, SOMETHING AGAIN ABOUT SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES, I JUST CAN'T

Favourite line: "I'm tired of blindly watching as we're inching towards the ground"

Run Run Brother

There's so much to say about this song, but I literally can't formulate the words, so it's probably gonna be one that I come back to and properly analyse later. so in the meantime, here are my key take-aways

right from the beginning, it gives just an "oh-shit" feeling, just so much urgency and desperation

All three of them have such different singing voices and styles and the combination of the three just makes me so happy and I don't even know how to like express what I'm feeling

Back to the thing about Dally always calling Johnny (and Pony, but we're emotional about Johnny here) "brother"

the music is just so fitting - I feel like I need to be up and moving every time I hear it, like if I ran ever this would be on the playlist 😂

And I'm going insane over the echoes of what has been previously been said - the "grease isn't given it's something you earn", and "let's leave this behind, let's just get up and go" like you're FORCED to face that they are being given what they want but in a really terrible way

Favourite line: "I hate to make you go, but there ain't no other way"

Justice for Tulsa

okay so I know that this is a really important song and everything, but I will admit this is the one I tend to skip most

I will say I think this song would hit harder if they kept with the themes of police brutality that there are in the novel and movie with regards to Dally's death (going off what I've heard about the script changes from people who have seen it, I can't verify myself)

The song feels very claustrophobic, with everyone just trying to blame everyone else, which I think is really well done. Especially with the multiple voices coming in with "you know just what you did"

And it does show the bias of the world trying to blame the Greasers just by reputation alone, which is thematically nice

and also just the kinda mob mentality of the whole thing, especially at the end, with a declaration of war

Favourite line: "or we could send them back a message, take an eye for an eye"

Death's at My Door

I think I've seen somewhere that this is the opening song for the second act and I just - fucking hell, what an opener 😂 they really just wanna destroy all of us, huh?

EDIT: I've been corrected, and it's Justice for Tulsa that starts act 2 - my bad guys, I don't know where I saw otherwise. JfT starting act 2 makes soo much more sense 😂

I wanted to like reach through my headphones somehow and hug Brody Grant, like holy shit

The first time I heard it all I could think about was how much he's going to blame himself when Johnny (and Dally) do die - especially with Johnny having comforted Pony about it

And I'm just emotional about the exploration of Pony thinking of himself as a burden on everyone he loves, especially going back to what Darry says to him in Runs in the Family reprise, just confirming everything that Pony already worries about himself

Favourite line: "I don't believe in the death that you're bringing - the reason I'm living is you"

Throwing in the Towel

I just love brothers okay? This song made me want to like message all my siblings and tell them I love them

I loved that we see Pony's inner thoughts and fears about being a burden on his brothers, immediately followed by seeing Darry's own thoughts and feelings - the two of them being so similar in how they blame themselves for everything

All three of the Curtis brothers being terrified of losing anyone else

AND THIS IS THE SODA CHARACTER REDEPTION I NEEDED - he becomes more than just the womaniser, you can see him having like actual thought and feelings, and the amount of emotion in Jason Schmidt's voice as he's trying to reassure Darry, like this song and Soda's letter gets across everything that makes Soda my favourite character

And there's something to be said about how they're finally like communicating their emotions 😂

Favourite line: "I know your head is full of doubt, but brother that's what love is all about"

Soda's Letter

Musical letters my beloved ❤️

I love songs like these - they're always just so vulnerable

It links to Tulsa '67 Reprise with the reference to how Soda kinda keeps the family all together. This song you can like see the strain that it has on him, trying to keep the brothers who he loves so much together, by trying to tell Pony that Darry does love him even though he shows it in a very different way

also anyone who has seen it and made it this far in the post can you tell me whether they keep in the bit about Pony reading this really heartfelt letter only to go "Soda's so dumb he can't fucking spell" because it's all I could think about when I listened to it for the first time

Favourite line: "Your brother needs you just as much as you need him, and brother we ain't doing to good alone"

Hoods Turned Heroes

The triumphant return of my beloved Two-Bit, and he's doing some king shit

I love him, okay?

This is another song where I know it's really important, but I actually don't have much to say about it, other than I do really enjoy it

Favourite line: "It's time to celebrate Greasers, take pride in the Greaser name"

Hopeless War

I love that it's just Cherry begging Pony not to change, and hoping that he's still an outsider of the Greasers like she is for the Socs, a hope that the two of them are still kindred spirits even after everything that happened

She knows that the rumble is gonna be where Pony loses that last bit of dreamer in him because he's holding just so much anger at the world - I dunno, there's something there I'm sure 😂

it's such a smooth transition into "Trouble" and I wanna SCREAM it's so good

Favourite line: "even if you win, it doesn't change a thing"

Trouble

It feels like a war chant or something

The music is just so agitated

It's like Run Run Brother where I feel the need to be up and moving

Favourite line: "Do it for Johnny, even the scores, time to rally the crew"

Little Brother

I get chills every time I listen to it

Something about Joshua Boone's voice guys, I don't even know like how someone goes about beginning to talk about it, but whoever takes over as Dally has got some big shoes to fill

It's a lament to Johnny, and I feel like I listen to it and I feel the same anger and indignation that Dally feels

It's a song where I listen to it and I know, even without having seen the production, how I'd stage it and that always makes me excited

The longer the song goes on, the more uneasy you feel listening to it

It links him and Darry together again, with how he blames himself for everything that happened to his little brother, he feels like he should have been able to protect Johnny, the way that Darry always tries to protect Ponyboy

The final tempo increase and the discordant violin at the end, and it feels like even just listening to it you're watching him fall into a grief-led madness, and his certainty that there's only one way that his story can end

Favourite line: "They can't take anymore from me - if I ain't got you, then I ain't got nothing else"

Stay Gold

It feels somehow criminal to put these songs next to each other, but I mean obviously they have to be - that's how they want you to feel, but it doesn't mean that I'm not mad about it

I've listened to it like a million times and it still brings me to tears every now and then

There's something about having the hopelessness of "Little Brother", with Dally bring so apologetic at having failed Johny, followed by Johnny asking Pony to tell him that there's still good in the world

Just how much everyone in this story needs each other and they don't realise that the others need them too, yknow?

Johnny being Dally's "gold" - a lot to say about that but yknow, this is already long as fuck

The simplicity of the music itself (same as with Soda's letter - makes them thematically the same blah blah blah with them both being letters and all that), but it makes the song much more vulnerable than some of the others - nothing for Sky Lakota-Lynch to hide behind

Also that line: "I have looked into a thankful father's eyes, telling me I've saved his daughters life", and how that links to what Johnny says in the book about the little girl's life being worth more than his - I dunno, it just got me emotional, okay?

Favourite line: "I hold on to the good 'cause I've made my peace with all the bad" and also "It's easy to forget when you're trying just to make it through"

Tulsa '67 Reprise

WE MADE IT BOYS (seriously though, for real, if you made it this far, thanks for reading through my descent into madness 😂 and please send your own thoughts and such, bc I'm desperate to hear other people's thoughts)

I said it at the beginning, but I think the reprise of this song makes the exposition at the beginning worth it

At the beginning we hear Ponyboy as a dreamer, and at the end he still has that, but rather than idolising and making everything spectacular, he sees beauty in the mundane - he sees it in his brothers, his friends, all of that

The call backs to the original song as well, which allow us to go back to the theme of looking at individuality - the Greasers wanting to be seen as more than just characatures, and by the end they are like fully-fleshed out people rather than just the basic stock figures we initially get them introduced as in Grease Got a Hold

The clearest examples are, of course, Darry and Soda

Darry goes from being "could have been a football star, people say he had a ticket out" to instead being "the toughest guy I've ever known"

Soda goes from "suffers from a broken heart" to "this family's life and soul"

and then it goes from "got no parents, we fend for ourselves" to "can you imagine how proud mum and dad would be"

just something so beautiful about that, I dunno

There's more I could say about the themes of brotherhood and individuality ("grease as their disguise", for example), but I'll spare it for now

Favourite line: "Just too damn good for growing old, and in his memory I stay gold"

(finally - if you've stuck around to the end, I've also recently set up an instagram account, just for me, so please also check that out if you wanna hear more about my thoughts about random musicals and stuff!)

Freddie 🐸 (Instagram)

#the outsiders musical #the outsiders #broadway musicals #musical theatre #theatre analyses #brody grant #sky lakota lynch #joshua boone #jason schmidt #daryl tofa #brent comer #ponyboy curtis #johnny cade #dally winston #sodapop curtis #darry curtis #two bit mathews

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

I know you've touched on it in your Gamzee Essay/general alternative timeline post but may I hear some more about your ideas regarding GamTav (or only Tavros)? You get these two in a way the broader fandom doesn't (which is fine, I'll still reblog even the most vanilla ooc art of them) so I'd really love hearing more of your thoughts:3

Ok, I think this is going to be someeewhat controversial, but I think they're destined for pale together, despite Gamzee's initial flushed flirting. I did in fact reread ALL of Tavros's logs for this.

I think the first thing we need to establish is that Tavros actually feels really shitty about himself. It's obvious that his problem is "self-esteem," since he's constantly prattling on about it, but there's a bit he says as Tavrossprite that's pretty enlightening as to where his actions stem from:

TAVROSPRITE: i SYMPATHIZE ENTIRELY WITH YOUR SOCIAL IMPASSE, cAUSING NOT GOOD REFLECTIONS ABOUT YOURSELF, tHAT MAYBE ALSO DOUBLE AS LIBERATING STUFF ABOUT YOU THAT YOU RANDOMLY DECIDE IS FINE SUDDENLY, TAVROSPRITE: oLD ACQUAINTANCES, aND GUYS YOU ONCE CALLED FRIENDS, TAVROSPRITE: tHOSE ARE VERY HARD, TAVROSPRITE: bECAUSE OVER TIME THEY GET EXPOSED TOO MUCH, tO ALL MY FLAWS AND INSECURITIES, TAVROSPRITE: aND THEY START LIKING ME LESS BECAUSE OF THAT, TAVROSPRITE: aT LEAST, tHAT'S HOW THE TRUTH FEELS, iN MY BRAIN, TAVROSPRITE: sO i START THINKING, mAYBE THEY CAN'T BE THAT IMPORTANT TO ME, aFTER ALL, iF i'M GOING TO WANT TO FEEL NOT SAD ABOUT MYSELF ALL THE TIME,

He has a mixture of self-loathing and social anxiety, the latter of which exacerbates the former, as his mind tells him that his friends secretly hate him. However, his real problem is what he then does with those feelings - he avoids them and the situations that cause them. This causes two major knock-on effects: the first is that he actively ends up distancing himself from people who ARE nice to him and DO care about him, only adventuring with Vriska because he's a pushover and she's very pushy (he adventures completely alone up until that point, and winds up sleeping almost all the time afterwards); the second being that, because he refuses to actually sit with and address his negative feelings about himself (or anything else), he's never able to fix them, or remove himself from shitty situations.

Something consistent with Tavros is that every time he tries to make a decision before his death and Vriska-prototyping, it's by trying to rely on something external - whether that's his imaginary friend, his robot legs, or the story of Pupa Pan... or relying on advice from Kanaya, or seeking approval and forgiveness from Vriska, or earning flushed interest from Jade. He believes himself to be deeply flawed and untrustworthy, so he allows other people to make his decisions, and when relationships do get intimate enough that someone might get him vulnerable, he peaces out. Even his ill-fated attempt to kill Vriska is heavily encouraged by Vriska herself:

AT: aND THAT BEING THE CASE, AT: eVEN THOUGH i'M TERRIFIED OF YOU, AT: aND nOT AS STRONG, AT: oR REAL CONFIDENT, AT: oNLY MOSTLY FAKE CONFIDENT, AG: Yeeeeeeees? AG: Go on. AT: i THINK, AT: i AM GOING TO HAVE TO STOP YOU, AG: Yeah! That's the spirit. AG: Pretty weakslime threat there, 8ut it's a start. AG: Tell you what. AG: If you can find me in this la8, you can have at me. AG: I'll even give you a free shot! No funny 8usiness or anything. AT: oK, AT: tHEN, AT: hERE i COME, AG: I'll 8e w8ing. <3

As we see with Jade, whom he's attempting to flirt with flushed, he's actively trying to impress her using "self-esteems" explicitly gained from "fake" things he's acknowledging as fake - that is, refusing to be genuine and vulnerable with her, because he doesn't believe anyone would like him the way he actually is.

AT: bUT WHAT ABOUT, AT: mY ATTRACTIVE BRAVADO, AT: aND IGNORING MY INSTINCTUAL COWARDICE HARD ENOUGH TO SAY THAT i LIKE YOU, AT: iSN'T THAT, AT: sUPPOSED TO BE VERY ATTRACTIVE, aND ENCOURAGE THE MAJOR HAVING OF FLUSHED FEELINGS IN OTHERS, AT: i GUESS WHAT i MEAN IS, wHAT ABOUT ALL MY CONFIDENCE, AT: wHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT,

His "dating" Vriska in the dream bubbles is also dubious and one-sided at best, as John calls him out for faking it and Tavros isn't willing to bring up wanting the Ring of Life because he was planning to propose to Vriska. Thus, once more, he's attempting to use something disingenuous (in this case, a human proposal) to win another person's affection, which he believes would be a symbol of actualizing his "self-esteem".

We also literally see him do the "deciding someone wasn't actually important to you after all, so it hurts less when you cut them off before they can hurt you emotionally by noticing your flaws" thing with Nepeta - he actually quite likes Nepeta, and would certainly have enjoyed having her play the game with him, but he assures her that it's not a big deal basically immediately, and insists he'll just find someone else:

AC: :33 < tavros im sorry i cant be on your team :(( AC: :33 < im not allowed AT: oH, AT: tHAT'S OKAY, AT: tHEN i GUESS HE SAID NO, tHEN, ... AC: :33 < hmm purrhaps AC: :33 < but i still f33l bad AT: i'LL FIND ANOTHER PLAYER, iT'S NOT A BIG DEAL, AT: gOOD LUCK, bEING, AT: oN THE BLUE TEAM, AC: :33 < ok thanks :((

But, perhaps most strikingly, is the way he leaves his good friend Gamzee on read after Gamzee suggests... gasp... intimacy.

TC: WhEn wE Up aNd sTaRt tO KiCk aT ThIs rEd TeAm NoIsE, TC: YoU ShOuLd mAkE YoUr wAy tO GeT YoUr hAnG On aT My hIvE. AT: oH, yES, tOTALLY, TC: We cOuLd sPlIt a tIn oF ThE PiMpEsT SnEeZe i gOt oN HaNd, BaKeD Up aLl sPeCiAl fOr yOu. TC: AnD ThEn mAyBe mAkE OuT A LiTtLe. AT: uH, TC: ;o) AT: , AT: ,,

It freaks him out, and he's never seen hanging with Gamzee again. And this is a huge shame, because not only is Tavros one of the only people who is nice to Gamzee and appreciates his religious beliefs, but Gamzee is one of the only people who hears out Tavros's genuine insecurities and desires without making fun of him:

AT: tHE ONLY THING MORE FLY THAN THE RHYMES, AT: i'M SAYING TO EXPRESS ALL MY MALICES, AT: iS THE ABILITY HE HAD i WISH WAS MINE, AT: iNSTEAD OF i GUESS, THIS EXCESSIVE PARALYSIS, TC: (lOoK OuT FoR ThE HoOk bRo!!!) TC: GeT OfFa tHoSe wHeElS, gEt oFfA ThOsE WhEeLs. TC: If mIrAcLeS ArEn't fAkE He'lL GeT OfFa tHoSe wHeElS! AT: bUT HIGH, iN THIS CASE, hAS DOUBLE THE MEANING, AT: iT MEANS HE CAN FLY, pLUS DOES HIGH SELF ESTEEMING, AT: tHAT'S TWO THINGS HE HAS, tHAT i'D RATHER WERE MINE, AT: hIS TWO FLAPPY WINGS, aND hIS BIG HEALTHY SPINE, AT: oOPS, AT: tHAT'S THREE THINGS,,, TC: GeT OfFa tHoSe wHeElS, gEt oFfA ThOsE WhEeLs. TC: If mIrAcLeS ArEn't fAkE He'lL GeT OfFa tHoSe wHeElS!

(Compare:)

PAT: i'M SORT OF, lYING ON vRISKA'S FLOOR RIGHT NOW, PAT: lIKE, iN HER BLOCK, PAT: lYING DOWN, PAT: uHH, yOU KNOW, bECAUSE i CAN'T WALK, CCG: OH NO SHIT REALLY??? CCG: YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS, WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN.

He isn't able to do a REAL self-confidence at least until he gives Vriska the bird and flies away, for the first time asserting that he thinks she's an asshole and doesn't actually want or need her validation or approval. After that, he's able to convince a ghost army to follow him using friendship and asking and niceness. Breath powers! Also Page powers! Also actual self-esteems! Although I don't personally hold anything after Game Over as anything more than soft canon, I think we can still see a fairly straightforward character arc reach a natural conclusion there.

But as to why I specifically think him and Gamzee are destined for pale, despite what appears to be flushed leanings from Gamzee's end, and despite the fact that I usually believe what the comic tells me, is because what brief few interactions we see between them are very much pale in nature, and it would be kind of narratively bizarre if Gamzee were set up to have a failed moirallegiance - the quadrant described as "soul mates" - without managing to find his real soul mate after. And who's it going to be? Equius? Or the guy that Gamzee literally says he feels "at chill with" talking to?

Gamzee kissing Tavros's corpse is often used as evidence for his desire for flushed, but I disagree - however Gamzee feels about Tavros romantically, kissing a dead player is how you revive them, so it reads to me - especially given how sad Gamzee is about Tavros dying - more like a desperate act to bring him back. Lest we forget, Terezi also gives it a try, and Karkat kisses Kanaya for the same reason - the reality that their extra lives are gone hasn't sunk in yet for these 13 year old kids, so they must try revival even if they know it won't work.

Moreover, Gamzee indirectly describes Tavros as his "best friend," after having called Karkat that through most of the game, and having an implied pale crush on Karkat during that time.

TC: YOU MOTHER FUCKING KNOW, BROTHER. TC: its the fuckin puppet. TC: THE ONE THAT'S ALL GOT TO BE MY BEST FUCKING FRIEND I GOT NOW. TC: now that my other buddy managed to be having his head chopped off. :oC

Moreover moreover, what Karkat cites as being the cause of their moirallegiance's failure is Gamzee's religious beliefs:

KARKAT: HE STARTED GETTING SO UNBELIEVABLY SELF SATISFIED AND PIOUS, LIKE WAY MORE THAN HE EVER WAS BEFORE. KARKAT: LIKE HE'S JUST SO COMPLETELY CONVINCED HE'S FOUND HIS CALLING, THAT THIS SESSION IS THE GATEWAY TO THE PROMISED LAND WHERE HE'LL FULFILL HIS DESTINY. KARKAT: HE'S SO CAUGHT UP IN HIS IDIOTIC SCHEMES HE COULDN'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT ME ANYMORE.

Which are explicitly what Tavros invites Gamzee to speak on, and appreciates:

AT: yEAHHH, yOU CAN TALK ABOUT THE CLOWN THINGS, wHICH, AT: i DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND EVER, bUT THAT'S OKAY, AT: bECAUSE IT'S KIND OF FUNNY, AT: wHEREAS, i'LL ADDRESS SOME TOPICS PERTAINING TO MY INTERESTS, AT: aND i GUESS, pERSONAL MOTIFS, TC: YeAh! FuCk YeAh, ThAt Be HoW sHiT's AlL uSuAlLy Up AnD fUcKiN lOcKeD bRo. ... AT: dO YOU HAVE TIME FOR, mY MIRACLES, rELIGIOUS FRIEND, }:) TC: Do yOu gEt yOuR NoTiCe oN Of tHe mIrAcLeS AT: sO MANY, uH, gRATUITOUS EXPLETIVE, mIRACLES, tHE MAGIC MOTHER, aLSO eXPLETIVE, mIRACLES, TC: FuCk yEs, HeReS WhErE ThE SlAm tUrNs tO NoThIn bUt hOnKs... TC: HoNk hOnK HoNk hOnK HoNk hOnK HoNk TC: HoNk hOnK HoNk hOnK HoNk hOnK HoNk AT: HONK, TC: FuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuUuCk! AT: iT'S LESS APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO DO THE HONKS, tHAN YOU, bUT THAT WAS STILL GREAT, TC: YeAh, BrO. yEaH!!! AT: tHE SLAMS WERE TRULY PRIME, aND, AT: yOUR RELIGIOUS VIEWS, tHOUGH i DON'T SHARE THEM, aRE, AT: rEASONABLY INSPIRATIONAL, AT: i THINK i'M IN THE PROCESS OF RELEASING AT LEAST ONE TEAR,

But also in Tavros's single conversation with Gamzee, we see Tavros stand up to a highblood:

TC: :o) HoNkHoNkHoNkHoNkHoNk AT: }:o), hEH, TC: hAhAh FuUuUuCk, YoU sToLe My FuCkIn NoSe BrO! TC: WhAt GoT yOu EvEn Up ThE gUmPtIoN tO aLl FuCkIn Do ThE sHiT lIkE tHaT? AT: eRR, i DON'T KNOW, iT'S JUST, AT: kIND OF THE OBVIOUS THING TO DO, AT: sTICK THE CIRCLE IN FRONT OF THE DOTS, aND, bEHIND THE BENDY ONE, AT: pLUS, oH YEAH, mY HORNS, TC: hAhAhAhA. AT: mAYBE WE CAN SLAM ABOUT IT, ... TC: fUuUuCk, So FuCkIn FrEsH. TC: YoU nEeD tO bE sLaPpEd FuCkIn SiLlY wItH a MoUtH lIkE tHaT! hAhA. AT: aND, iF YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH IT, AT: tHEN i SUGGEST YOU GO AND RAP IT DUDE,

He feels safe with Gamzee, enough to take a bit of an attitude with him, enough to open up about his insecurities about his disability and how much he wishes he was like Pupa Pan, and Gamzee explicitly states he feels calm when he talks to Tavros, which is the stated function of a moirallegiance.

TC: Me tOo, BrO, yOu mOtHeR FuCkIn kNoW ThErE Be sOmE Of mY EyE's RoYaL JeLlY To gO WiTh yOuR EmOtIoNaL pEaNuT BuTtEr. AT: wHOA, aHA, hA, TC: ThIs iS BeAuTiFuL, dUdE, i fEeL So aT ChIlL WiTh yOu. AT: yEAH, fRIENDLINESS WITH YOU IS, pRETTY MUCH ALWAYS NICE, aND FUN TO HAVE,

And the thing is, trolls are constantly getting into moirallegiances when they want to be flushed (Eridan, Kanaya), having palecrushes when they want to be friends (Gamzee), and winding up flushed with their moirail (pale solfef is forshadowed in the same breath as pale erikar, and they don't seem to confirm a matespritship until after Sollux's actual flushed crush, Aradia, explodes). Especially for Gamzee, who was neglected by his lusus and struggles with social interaction to the point where he feels like he has to hide his real self (casteist beliefs, constant talk of religion and murder, which, by the way, come out when he talks to Tavros), it'd be easy for him to mistake the "instinctive attraction" of moirallegiance for the passions of matespritship.

These thoughts are all pretty disorganized - I'm really sorry, it's super late/early for me and I'm exhausted for other reasons - but I hope that that . was what you wanted? hahah

#homestuck #gamzee makara #tavros nitram #gamtav

[siconetribal]

Put it on My Tab 14

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!reader

Warning:

Working with customers, rude customer, that stressful work life is all the rage these days

A/N:

Please comment/like/reblog. If you’d like to be tagged moving forward, please let me know!

As always, a huge thank you and shout out to @harlequin-hangout for the amazing banners you made for me.

If you’re new to the story, please check out the master post for the rest of the chapters.

“I can help the next customer in line over here!” Y/N shouted over the din of the teenagers that came flooding in after school. It was a mix of private school uniforms and fashionable public school students flaunting their name brand accessories and latest phones. It really was a marvel to see how carelessly they would just flash their parents’ money as if it was their own hard earned pay. “Next customer in line, please.” She spoke a little louder and watched as a rather quiet but handsome looking teenager walked up. It was obvious that his clothing was well made, tailored to fit him, but it lacked the flashy logos that everyone else was wearing. A public school kid? He looks like he’s a couple years younger than me. A senior perhaps? “Welcome, what would you like for me to get started for you today?” She cordially asked, though once again, there was something about him. Just like the young detective, she felt like she needed to be cautious.

“A large cup black eye with ristretto, light sugar, and a bear claw.” 

“Did you want me to exchange the espresso with the ristretto or did you want me to add it with the espresso?” She hesitantly questioned, eyeing him a bit suspiciously. There was no sign of major fatigue aside from the slight bags under his lids. It was not uncommon to see some exhausted seniors who diligently worked to keep their top marks, but there was an edge to him. His gaze was not hazy from exhaustion. On the contrary it was sharp, too sharp.

“Add it to the drink and warm the pastry, please.” He pulled out his wallet and waited for her to ring him up.

A lot more crazy coffee drinkers on this side of Gotham than I originally thought. She hesitated for a moment before pressing the necessary buttons on the screen. “For here or to go?”

“Here.”

“The name for the order?”

“Tim.”

“Ok, your total comes out to $11.48, will you be paying cash or card?”

“Cash,” he quickly pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to her. The drawer sprung open with a ring and she handed him the change as she closed it.

“Please have a seat, we’ll call your name when your order is ready.” She gave him another cordial smile, waiting for him to move so the next customer could come up, but the young man called Tim did not budge. An awkward silence stretched between the two of them as he simply silently stared at her. “Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thanks.” He shook his head and dropped the change in the jar in front of her and left. Citlalli came over from her right, watching Tim as he sat down.

“Everything ok?” She whispered to Y/N who moved over to start his order.

“Yeah, we’ve dealt with much weirder things.” She shrugged it off to help ignore the sense of unease Tim gave her.

“True, but he was just standing there, staring at you.” She frowned, scanning the dining area quickly to see Tim watching them. “And he’s still watching you.”

“He’s probably thinking about what else he might want to order. Customers do it all the time, ordering one thing only to consider adding something else after the fact.” Y/N casually brushed it off. “You’re thinking too much about it, he’s just an overly caffeinated burnt out studious senior wishing for the school year to end already.”

“I guess,” Citlalli bit into her lower lip as concern for the safety of her dear friend doubled with her current streak of luck. “If he gives you any trouble, oi! Look at me, mija!” She grabbed Y/N’s face, squishing her cheeks while making her look at her. “You tell me right away. I'll have his ass kicked out at full speed!” She snapped her fingers after relinquishing Y/N’s face. “You've been through enough between that bill, my dumbass cousin, and the sudden midnight order that broke the window. Let me help where I can.”

“Thanks, Cici, I will, I promise. He's just like any other awkward teen trying to get out of high school that would pay big money for a coffee IV drip and I'm going to treat him as such. If he pulls any funny business, you'll be the first to know.” Y/N gently squeezed one of Citlalli’s shoulders before returning her attention to complete the order and call out to him for pick up. 

The next few customers were of the usual variety, a majority of them ordering the sugar loaded ice blended drinks regardless of how cold some of the days have been. It was the technical orders with the highly detailed instructions that irked her. 

If they think this is so easy to do, why don't they just go home and make it themselves? If I ever find out who came to with this ridiculous and disgusting sounding flavor combo, I'll throttle ‘em! She shared frustrated looks with her fellow baristas. It was clear that this drink would be burning through some of their supplies quickly. 

When the fruity whipped up topping heavy blended drinks were completed, they were placed out for pick up by her coworker while Y/N went back to the register.

Tim quietly watched his person of interest deal with the complex orders and demanding customers. The smile plastered on her face the entire time was an impressive feat. One obnoxious customer was one too many in his opinion, but there was nothing that he could do and he knew any retaliation on her end would lead to disciplinary actions against her. She was responsible, respectful, and resilient; but none of this information got him any closer to solving the mystery that was her. 

The customer is always right, like hell they are. He rolled his eyes at the passing thought. She’s smart, but is it enough to grab attention? What did she do with the ‘tip’ Dick gave her? Why did he think to give her that? What am I missing? He knows her, somehow. I need to figure out how. He finished the last of his order and stood up, tossing his trash and quietly leaving the establishment. He would need to observe her for longer and possibly try to gain some insight from the other customers and staff. 

The daytime quickly became dark, the days slowly growing shorter as autumn progressed. The number of customers dwindled down as the evening hours struck. There were still a few lingering customers with their laptops, typing away. The loyalty customers occasionally came to the counter for the complimentary refill on regular coffee while the non-rewards customers ordered something different each time. Citlalli had gone home for the evening and soon it was simply Y/N and two other baristas as a few late night customers came in.

“Hello, what would you like to order?” Y/N smiled at the older woman. Much like all the other customers, she was well dressed and carried a designer bag. Her long sharp acrylics were clicking and tapping against every surface she touched as she looked through the large bag for something. Finding whatever it was, she kept her hand inside to hold whatever it was.

“Hi, I would like to order a medium iced mocha macchiato with almond milk and an extra shot of espresso. Have the mocha drizzle divided equally in the bottom and on top of the foam, with light ice. Add 3 pumps of caramel syrup, 2 pumps of toffee nut syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Serve it in a grande cup with a separate cup of ice on the side and a packet of sweetner.” She kindly smiled back after quickly running through the instructions. Any relief Y/N had felt froze up in her veins at the complex order that was thrown at her.

“I’m sorry, could you please repeat that a little slower? I want to make sure I have it down correctly.” The older woman pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Thank you for your understanding in wanting to make sure your specific drink is made exactly as you ordered.” Y/N added for good measure. It seemed to do the trick as she nodded and slowly repeated the overly complicated order slower. Y/N read it back to her for verification before ringing out the order. “You can have a seat, we’ll call you when your order is ready, Susan. Thank you, again, for being a loyal customer.” She added, this was something their boss insisted they say to reward members. 

“Ah, ah, I’m not done just yet!” Susan pulled out her hidden hand which held one of their decorative cups. “I bought this from your store and last time I was here I couldn’t help bit notice the little shelf over here.” She pointed to her left.

“Ah, yes, that is our discount shelf. Anything on that shelf is 30 to 40% off.”

“Exactly, and this thermos is on that shelf. You can see it on the second shelf towards the left over there.” Y/N leaned over to rhe left a bit to get a better view from the register before nodding her head.

“Looks like it’s there, so yes, it’s on sale now. Did you want to buy another one?” She offered, though she was not entirely sure why Susan brought her thermos. “Oh, did you want your drink made in your cup?”

“No, well yes, but that’s not why I’m bringing this up.”

“No, you didn't want to buy or no, don't use the cup?” Y/N frowned, unsure which answer went to which question.

“No, I do not want to buy another one. Yes, put my drink in here. The reason I am talkimg about this is because I am upset. When I bought this thermos, I paid full price.” Y/N silently stared at Susan for a few seconds, unsure where this was even going as she took the cup and placed it with the ticket for use.

“Yes, because it was full price when you purchased it.’

“Do you see the issue here?”

“No, I do not. What is the issue?”

“Well, why is it on sale now?”

“We’re clearing out the overstock we have of those designs to make room for new designs.” She calmly explained.

“Ok, the problem is that I paid full price for a product that you’re get it rid of anyway.”

“Well, this sale started a week ago. This style thermos was brand new or one of the newer products when you bought it, so it was not on sale. If you bought this cup anytime prior to a week ago, you would have paid full price..”

“Exactly, you see how this is discriminatory, right?”

“Driscriminatory,” she repeated the word and watched Susan nodd her head excitedly. “How?”

“Yes, you can see how this is discriminating against customers, like myself, who bought this before the sale!” She eagerly explained.

“Uh, no, you just happened to buy it before it was put on sale. We don't have control over which tumbler or thermos will sell out or not. This particular design had a few items left, so they are now on sale.”

“Ok, here is the cup and here is my receipt.” Susan continued to push through, ignoring everything that Y/N was explaining to her. “I would greatly appreciate it if you gave me the difference of the discount in cash.” She held out the thermal sheet of paper. Y/N took the slip, checking the date to see if there was something that could be done. 

“Firstly, this was charged on a card. If I were to refund the difference, it would go back onto your card. That can't be done though, because you purchased this three months ago. This is proof that you did and are ineligible for a refund of the difference due to the current sale that has been placed three months after your purchase.” 

“And why not?!” Susan snapped as she became more and more irate as the conversation went on.

If you listened to a single word I’ve said thus far instead of soewing your tosic stupidity all over the place, maybe you’d already know the answer! “Because you bought it three months before the sale.”

“Young lady, this is completely unfair! If you were going to put it on sale, you should’ve never put it at full price! This is robbery! I am due proper compensation for such poor financial etiquette and discrimination!” Her voice grew shrill as she raised it. All Y/N wanted to do was slap a piece of tape over the brighgly colored lips of the annoying customer and chuck the troublesome cup out the door with her.

“The only thing I am allowed to do is offer you another one at the discounted price. I cannot do anything else.”

“This is the most horrid customer service I have ever had in my life! How can you just stand there and deny a loyal paying customer what they want?! Where is your manager, I demand to speak with them!”

“I am the acting manager at this time.”Lucky me-not! “Even if I weren’t, the manager would have said the very same thing.”

“All you little brats act as a manager when it’s conveninet to you! I swear, this generation is nothing but trouble, full of disrespect, and lying! I want to speak with the owner, Donavan, yes I do know him.” She smugly smirked.

“Mr. D is not in at this moment. He left for the evening two hours ago and will be back tomorrow. You’re welcomed to come back at that time and speak with him.” Y/N flatly answered.

“No, call him now.” she slammed her manicured hand onto the counter, scaring some of the other customers and the other barista. A throbbing pain started to grow at Y/N’s temples as she took a few moments to keep her cool and not risk her job with a harsh response.

“Why don’t you call him? Since you say you know him so well, call him. Let him know that you’re harrassing his employee for doing her job and following his rules implemented in his establishment.” A calm male voice called out from the end of the line. Everyone turned to find the owner, only to see a tall and strong looking biker with a helmet. He stepped forward others made room for him. Pulling off his helmet, Y/N’s jaw fell open from shock at seeing Jason standing there.

He rides a motorcycle?! Of course he does! Wait, that’s not important! He’s going to cause trouble if this crazy lady actually calls Mr. D! Before she could try to de-escelate the situation, Jason turned so his back was to the register as he looked down at the rowdy customer. Y/N watched Susan’s face go from angry red to a blush pink the moment she laid eyes on the handsome young man. Straightening up her posture and adjusting her clothing, she turned to face Jason.

“I know how this might look just walking in, but she has been quite insolent this entire time. I am merely trying to teach her her place.” Her voice was calmer, sweeter, thick like molasses kind of sweet over a honeyed tone.

“Not from what I’ve seen since you walked up here. Did you forget you nearly hit a biker with your car and cursed them out? Hi, that biker was me. Now, get your drink and sit quietly or leave, or you can call the owner and he can check the CC footage to see what happened. You pick,” he calmly repeated. Y/N was not able to see the look in his eyes, but she could tell from the way Susan’s face paled that he was very intimidating. She quickly gathered her things, snatching the receipt as she hurried away to wait for her drink.

“Thanks for the help. I’m sorry you had to step in like that.” The genuine smile of relief she gave him was a direct shot to his heart, and the vigilante was none the wiser why. It injected warmth into his veins and filled his chest with immeasurable pride.

“Don’t mention it, I told you, I save damsels in distress. You just happen to be in distress more often than most.” He smirked and winked at her, earning an eye roll in response. “I’ll have to insist you clock out for the rest of the day though. You look exhausted and after all of that, you deserve a free night at the least.”

“Go on, Y/N. I’ll handle her drink. We told Cici already and she said to just clock out for the shift. She’s on her way now.” A coworker nudged her towards the back. “Don't keep your boyfriend waiting!”

“Yeah, you've covered enough of our shifts, go have fun!” The other joined in, ushering her through the back doors without giving her a chance to explain that they were not together like that. All she could do was sigh in defeat as she headed to the staff room to clock out and grab her things. This was a misunderstanding that could easily be fixed next time.

Returning to the front of the store, she avoided lengthy eye contact with her coworkers who were clearly having too much fun with this turn of events. One kept wiggling their eyebrows while the other was a fit of giggles. “C’mon Wonder Boy, let's go.” She grabbed his arm and led him back out the doors.

Tag: @vbecker10 @wordsfromshona @harlequin-hangout @harpy-space @tild3ath @gone-batty-fics @princessbl0ss0m @dakotali @antiquecultist

#jason todd #jason todd x reader #red hood #jason todd x y/n #jason todd x fem!reader #y/n #jason todd fic #red hood x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #jason todd fanfic #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd x female reader #jason todd x you #jason peter todd #jason todd x female!reader #red hood fanfic #red hood x you #red hood fanfiction #red hood x fem!reader #red hood x y/n #your name #reader insert #batman #batman fanfic #batman fanfiction #tim drake #dc fanfiction #dc fanfic #dcu

[waltricia]

More Hawkins/Innovations Ball Observations 🔭🎈🧭

+ A Color Theory

I know I’ve already made several posts about this ball, but I have more observations, so I’m going to compile everything here. For the stuff I’ve already made detailed posts about, I’ll just give brief descriptions.

1. Yellow. There’s so much of it here, and in the episode as a whole. Ahead of the part 1 release, I had been thinking a lot about how the color red would be used to signify Colin’s growing love- and it is, particularly in 3x04 (I’ll come back to that)- but in this episode, yellow is used more so, which is even better because it signifies how much Pen, specifically, is haunting Colin (in the romantic way obviously lol). At Stowell House, earlier in the episode, the walls are a very obvious singular yellow tone, and Colin wears a yellow waistcoat. Here at the Innovations Ball, there are a ton of different shades of yellow on the walls, props/furnishings, costumes, and in the lighting.

Also note the blue elements.

AND green!

(I love Marcus repping all the Polin colors. That bodes well.)

So, yeah, lots of Polin-coding, but also, like I said, I have a particular theory about color, which I will return to at the end of this post.

2. Colin’s entrance into the ballroom mirrors the infamously unfortunate Beauty and the Beast scene from 2x04. Both scenes have our leads stopped on staircases in front of grandfather clocks (another surprisingly significant motif of the season). I love the comparison of her being lonely because she’s left alone by him in that moment- and by everyone else as usual- to now him being lonely, despite being surrounded by admirers, because he’s being left alone by the one person who truly knows him and would make that difference for him.

3. I think everyone already knows about this parallel by now, but I have to note it because it’s so in line with my other observations- when Colin says his “it is possible to do anything” line, that scene mirrors the “assuredly, fervently, loudly” scene from 1x08. Pen and Colin are both inspiring each other, encouraging each other to be honest about their feelings.

And I feel like that’s not the only moment where the scenes are mirrored. In 1x08, when Colin sees Pen, the crowd parts so he has (and we have) the full view of her, and he makes his way over to her from the center of the floor to the edge. In 3x03, after Colin almost reveals his feelings (similar to how Pen almost revealed her feelings in 1x08), Pen leaves him at the edge of the floor to go to the center with Debling. And the crowd, which had been parted- giving us a view of Colin behind Pen- now rushes in to block that view.

4. Double meanings. They’re everywhere.

a) Again, the “it is possible to do anything” line. He’s delivering it to the admiring debutantes, but we know he’s really speaking to Pen. He’s really talking to her about his feelings for her. Of course, Pen thinks he’s talking to her about Debling. The hits just keep on coming for Colin in this episode.

b) In another interesting turn of events, considering she’s Whistledown and so much of what’s she’s said and done in the past seasons has been layered with hidden meanings, Pen goes and speaks the plain singular truth about herself and her intentions to Debling (obviously barring the fact that she’s Whistledown). Of course this is very in line with one of her main journeys for the season, which is to accept and reveal herself.

c) Colin attempts to hide the true meaning of his words to Violet when he asks her about love and friendship. Of course, he’s just so god damn transparent, bless his heart. And Violet, very sweetly, goes along with it.

And btw, after she leaves Colin to let him go approach Pen, she watches them the whole time. 💜

d) Unserious but relevant:

Not only are they literally and metaphorically sick, this pregnancy subplot also fits with the whole theme of nature.

e) The Whistledown narration. As per usual, it applies to multiple characters and their storylines. I’m obsessed with how it’s so intentionally layered onto the shots. The sequence is so incredible and so involved. I’m linking the post I made about it here in case anyone hasn’t seen it yet and is curious about what I mean.

5. I could be totally off about this one, but it looks to me like Miss Malhotra’s hair clip is designed like a compass. If it is, that would make sense because it would be on theme for the ball. But what I particularly love about the idea is that it’s also relevant to Polin. Hardcore Polin fans like to say that Pen is Colin’s compass.

6. At the end of this episode, as Colin has officially fallen in love with Pen, we see the beginning of the next episode’s theme color, red.

Which brings me to my final observation, my color theory.

I’ve said this before and I will continue to say it every time I have an insane prediction or theory: I am probably very wrong. But I’ll say it anyway…

It seems to me that each episode has a different signature color. I think 3x02 is green because Pen and Colin are starting to grow and bloom.

3x03 is yellow because, again, Pen is haunting Colin.

3x04 is red because they’re lovesick for each other.

And 3x01 is everything. It’s an explosion of color.

I think that, in many ways, 3x01 is meant to be a preview of the upcoming episodes, highlighting all of the colors. I mean, wouldn’t the presence of a “Four Seasons” ball indicate that everything is there? Everything that you would see in a year? (Or a full season of Bridgerton?) I think it probably tells us which colors will define the part 2 episodes as well, but I won’t venture to guess.

In speaking about Colin’s garden party waistcoat, the associate costume designer, Dougie Hawkes, said that it has hints about future episodes.

I have to wonder if this color thing has something to do with that. I’m also pretty sure that all of the other waistcoats Colin wears in 3x01 are ones he wears again more obviously in the other part 1 episodes. This seems to indicate, for one thing, that the garden party waistcoat is indeed special, but also that there is so much hiding in plain sight in episode 1 that will come back throughout the season. In other words, there’s probably a lot of stuff in part 2 that’s already been hinted at in 3x01…

But I dunno, I’m probably wrong about this.

Anyway, that’s all for now! ✌️

#i’ve officially become a color conspiracy theorist #it’s ok tho i don’t think i’ll say much more about color for a while after this #i’ve become far more unhinged about mirrors #that batshit post should be ready at the end of the week #anyway #i hope these observations aren’t completely unnecessary #i just love 3x03 so god damn much #polin #bridgerton #bridgerton 3x03 #bridgerton analysis #bridgerton parallels #obsessive bridgerton things

[tiana4evahh]

Took me a while to get my thoughts into words, but awhile ago, @swans-chirping-in-the-distance made a post saying that Tam and Marella have gossip sessions, and this is exactly what me and my IRL friend headcanon.

Okay so basically we both headcanon that Tam and Marella do indeed, have gossip sessions.

It starts with Marella sitting down at the table and talking about the newest gossip and stuff... *cue the scene/mini fanfic below tw cringe*

"...so it turns out, she likes Jared-"

"Actually, she doesn't."

Marella whips her head around to see Tam casually eating a sandwich. Her eye twitches.

"Uh, I'm sorry, what?" She says. Tam looks at her.

"What what? Liana doesn't actually like Jared."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" Marella explodes, causing a few tables to look over. "She's been pinning on him for the past three weeks! It's obvious! And he likes her back too!"

Tam snorts, and shakes his head. "It was a dare. Three weeks ago, Liana and her friends were playing a game of Truth or Dare, and one of them, Arenen, dared Liana to pretend to like a random guy, and that guy was Jared."

Marella's jaw was on the floor. "...You're lying. I don't believe you!" He shrugged.

"If you don't believe me, you can look over behind you to see Liana and Arenen talking while pointing to Jared, looks of disgust on there faces."

She turned around, and in fact, Marella did see the two girls, doing exactly as Tam described.

"...No way."

"I also, ah, overhead, them in the hallway... ehh, 30 minutes ago."

Marella couldn't say anything. Liana and Jared? A lie? Fake? But most important, gossip that she HADN'T known about?!

She heard Keefe whistle. "Damn, Bangs Boy, didn't know you were into gossip." Tam just shrugged.

"It's the only thing worth going to this school for. The crazy, drama filled lives of others is free entrainment."

That was exactly what Marella though.

Regaining her voice, she asked Tam a question. "Okay... so, you're right. Oh my custard bursts... This is... Sorry." She swallowed. "If you know this, do you know anything else?"

"Well, I know Jared is gay and in love with Clorax."

"WHAT-"

*cue the end of the mini drabble/scene*

And from that day forward, there was a beautiful friendship was formed. It started during lunch, where Marella and Tam would spend at LEAST 10-15 minutes filling each other in on all the gossip they've collected that day.

Then, it transferred from when Marella was visiting Linh but Linh had to leave, she and Tam would start talking. It was small at first, since neither of them really talked outside of school, but soon enough, they started to get to know each other.

Tam was one of the first few people to have been told from Marella that she's a lesbian (and her feelings for Linh, which Tam totally supported), and Marella was one of the few that Tam was in love with Biana. (Both of them use this information to their advantages/teasing. Like "Tam, if you don't do this for me, I'll have to call Biana~" "SHUT UP I'LL DO IT FINE YOU EVIL B-" and "Linh, there's something MARELLA needs to tell you, and it's that she-" "I THINK THAT YOU LOOK GREAT IN PINK BUT BETTER IN ORANGE")

I have a lot more to say about these two. Like Tam Marella friendship is so valueable to me. I have WAYYY more to say on them which will probs go onto another post, but yeah. <3

TAM AND MARELLA FRIENDSHIP WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

#dang this was a lot #sorry lol #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc tam #kotlc marella #tam song #Marella redek #kotlc headcanons #kotlc headcanon #kotlc fanfic #kinda? I mean a little bit #kotlc tiana #kotlc marelinh #marelinh #tiana #tam x biana #Marella x linh #headcanons #tam and Marella gossip buddies #I need my tam and Marella friendship #kotlc thoughts

[pandora15]

okay I didn't sleep very well which means that this is the perfect time for me to write a very obnoxiously long post about my very complicated feelings about ahsoka (both the show and the character).

there will be vague spoilers for what we've seen for the show so far (as of this writing, the first three episodes).

okay

also this will definitely be ramble-y and probably a bit controversial? idk man it's the star wars fandom, I'm sure to piss someone off regardless of what I say here, and I don't really care.

anyways

I'm gonna start with a simple statement.

I don't like the idea of one Jedi being better than another.

Clarification: Obi-Wan is by and large my favorite character of all time. He is my favorite Jedi. However, in my eyes, that does not make him better than all the other Jedi. That does not make him a better Jedi than all the others that we've seen in canon, just because I (or a lot of us in this specific fandom circle) like him.

make sense?

okay cool.

In a similar sense, Ahsoka is not better than all the other Jedi, including all the ones who taught her and helped shape her to who she ultimately becomes. Don't get me wrong, she is an incredible character who has gone through so much and has survived it all. And I take comfort in her character nearly as much as I take comfort in Obi-Wan's.

The way the show is going so far seems to imply that the approach that she's taking with Sabine by training her at all, when Huyang has said multiple times that the Jedi of old (ie. up until the end of the Clone Wars) would not have trained her, is absolutely the right and wonderful thing to do. So the fact that Ahsoka has previously taken this chance on Sabine and is doing so again seems to imply (to me, at least) that she is better than all the Jedi who came before her, since all of them would not have done such a thing.

The whole Sabine being practically Force-null thing but still trying to be a Jedi is a whole other conversation for another post, but…a part of me is intrigued by the idea, I guess? But I still feel like it steps back on her characterization in Rebels, and I am worried about the direction they're ultimately going to take with her.

Add this to the fact that the show demonstrates that Ahsoka has complicated feelings about the Jedi Order and being a Jedi. The fact that she calls Sabine her Padawan (a Jedi term afaik) eases my concerns slightly, maybe? I don't think it's clear quite yet how she feels about the whole thing.

But all of this stems from what happened to her during the Wrong Jedi arc.

And in the lead-up to this show, I rewatched that arc. On this rewatch, I felt a lot of sympathy for what Ahsoka goes through. She's on her own for most of the time that she's on the run, and obviously I can't say what would have happened if she'd chosen not to run away and investigate to the extent that she did, but it does seem to pile up even more evidence against her — but it also gave Anakin the stepping stones that he needed to figure out it was Barriss and Barriss the opportunity to sort of expose herself as the culprit. Like if Ahsoka hadn't run away to the lower levels to try to figure it out, would she have been better off?

We don't know. I'm not gonna make assumptions.

As for the Order and the Council, I'm going to say about that arc what I've said before: they were placed in an impossible situation. The war has drained them of the trust the public had once had in them, their dependence on the Senate made it so that they couldn't go against them.

Ahsoka says in the arc that she believes that no one in the Order fought for her, besides maybe Anakin. Yet we literally see Obi-Wan tell the Council that they can't expel her, we see the Council invite her back after her name is cleared because they still see her as one of them. A Jedi.

And yes, maybe they could have done something differently to change things. Maybe they could have taken a stand with Ahsoka against Tarkin and all the other Senators who called for Ahsoka's expulsion/trial. Maybe they could have refused to expel her to prevent all of that from happening.

But I can't imagine that things would have gone well for them or for Ahsoka if they'd done that.

Needless to say, Ahsoka could have done things differently to lead to a better outcome, and the Council could have, as well — but we don't actually know if it would have worked.

Putting all of that aside though, the way Ahsoka's character is approached after the Wrong Jedi arc aired is changed drastically, compared to how it was approached before that arc. Which makes sense, since she walks away from the life she knows and has to figure things out and all that. I know it must have been really tough for her, walking away.

Ahsoka's arc in Rebels is beautiful. I love it. The way she contends with the knowledge that Vader is Anakin, ultimately leading up to her duel with him and her sacrificing herself so that Ezra and Kanan can get away? It's so heart-wrenching to me, even now. Learning that Ezra ultimately saves her with the WBW made me so happy because she is such an important character to me, and to see her ultimately die at Vader's hand would have been completely heartbreaking.

And to see her again the Rebels epilogue, with the implication that she survives the events of the OT, was one of the most glorious endings I've seen in Star Wars. Just thinking about it makes me smile.

But after this is where the cracks begin to form for me.

We go back to Season 7 of TCW. I found the Martez sisters arc pretty fun, having rewatched it recently. However, there is this plot point of Ahsoka seeing that the Jedi are not doing anything for the people of Coruscant, since they're. you know. busy fighting a galaxy wide war and all that. (Also like the welfare of Coruscant's people is not strictly the Jedi's responsibility like assuming Coruscant has a Senator or maybe even the Chancellor would also have some level of responsibility, yeah? but people love to blame the Jedi for their problems, in and out of universe).

Anyways, the arc indicates that the Jedi are in the wrong, even though, once again, they're in this impossible situation for one thing, and they're also being "blamed" for things that aren't even their fault? And Ahsoka is like the only person who can see that so now it makes her better than all of them?

We see that play out a bit at the beginning of the Siege of Mandalore arc (which is still incredibly painful to me, thanks). We see Bo-Katan take shots at Obi-Wan for literally just saying that he has to speak to the Council about her request (I could be remembering wrong, I'm trying to double check this but youtube is literally refusing to load right now), and Ahsoka just stands there and lets it happen because "wow why are they not helping us how dare they be busy with a war omg after everything they've done to me"

And to be fair to ahsoka, it hasn't been that long since TWJ and it's totally valid for her to still be upset about it! I guess it's just painful to see especially for me because I've always loved Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's dynamic and it was just. yeah.

And yeah, Ahsoka decides to do the same to Obi-Wan later on when he says they have to go to Coruscant because their people are in danger, and Ahsoka's upset that they're not prioritizing Mandalore's people over Coruscant. Which like. Coruscant's people literally includes the two sisters you became friends with last week Ahsoka what do you mean —

anyways

in those opening moments of the siege of mandalore, it's clear that she still has a lot of emotions over what happened, and Obi-Wan takes the brunt of that. let's also not forget that she doesn't seem to want to talk to Anakin until later on, yeah?

and the way it's framed in the show, they really make it seem like ahsoka's in the right for treating Anakin and Obi-Wan like this. Like they deserve it for doing something differently than her.

When Mace Windu calls her a citizen when she LITERALLY called herself that first, people say he deserves to die? like what the fuck? it's not that serious y'all.

It's like Ahsoka has suddenly become the perfect character who can do nothing wrong ever and any time another character tries to go against that, it's implied that she's in the right and she's better than them all, actually. it's canon because dave filoni says it is.

skipping over the mando and tbobf episodes mostly because I don't have much to say about those episodes as it relates to this topic, this brings us back to the ahsoka show today.

I think it's a beautiful show with incredible music. like I'm obsessed with the end credits music. the premise is extremely interesting. I do think it should have been animated, even though the actors have worked extremely hard to get the characters down and I've literally seen how excited and passionate they are about the project while watching their interviews in-person at star wars celebration, I don't think it would ever feel the same as having the original voice actors back for all the characters.

that being said, I'm enjoying the show so far, but I am concerned. I'm worried about what the show is going to communicate about the Jedi Order and that it's going to continue to imply that Ahsoka is better and knows better than all the Jedi who brought her to where she is now.

I hope that the show is able to communicate that Ahsoka wants to be respectful of those Jedi, instead, and that they paint the concept of being a Jedi in a more positive light, instead of continuing to imply all this negativity.

I love the Jedi, and I just wish we got to see more of them in a positive light in canon.

#ahsoka tano #ahsoka spoilers #ahsoka show #so tldr if you see me like. contradicting myself a lot when it comes to this show it's because that's literally how i feel about it #i like it and i love it but i also am deeply concerned about it and i don't like what they've implied about the jedi order so far #it's complicated #and i think my complicated feelings all stem from me not liking the concept of a single jedi being better than all the rest #and just to be clear. ''better'' doesn't equate to having higher force sensitivity or anything like that #i think that's obvious from my post but. yeah. #anyways i'm gonna get up now it's a reasonable time for me to be awake now afslkjadjklfkjlakfldsaf #rip to my sleep schedule #long post

[wynandcore]

The Lamb

#continuation of that post I made about Cyrus #ALSO BECK LOOKING LIKE BECK?? IN MY ART?? IN THIS ECONOMY??? preposterous #is it obvious I like uprising and beck a lot. I don’t think so- #tron #tron uprising #tronblr #tron beck #putting him facing his head away from you with his eyes closed whereas my Cyrus drawing has him stare directly at you. yeah #art tag

[chaosandwolves]

Hi it's me

Since I have my account back, let's over analyse the lighting of some scenes in this ep

(and be super delusional and totally reach waaayyy too much)

I couldn't help but notice the difference in lighting in this scene

Eddie is mostly in the dark while

Buck is in warm light

Now this could probably mean a bunch of things

We'll they're talking about dating

Buck:

broke up with Natalia

doesn't seem too bothered by it (ooooh remember the title of ep 100? 😁)

-> new beginning etc etc

Eddie:

in a relationship

Is he happy? We literally have no info on his relationship other than she's there

-> Eddie caught in this?

We'll see

Anyway I was thinking about this and then I saw this post by @catdadeddie (which is soo insane!!!)

And I freaked out

In that post the lighting is a bit clearer than in my screen grabs here

But looook

It looks like both, Buck and Shannon, are in more and warmer light and Eddie in less more dull light

Plus there is visible light coming from a lil sideways behind them

Buck's a bit to the left, Shannon's to the right

Eddie's visible light sources are coming from both sides

but he's closer to the left (Buck's side)

And Shannon's light source (the right lamp) is never shown while Shannon and Eddie are in the room

You know... the ghost of it all...

(Yes Shannon might just be placed like this cause she needed to be behind Chris... Looking over him etc...)

And then

(what a GORGEOUS shot! And Ryan Guzman's subtle excpressions will be the death of me.... the pain 😭)

Again, the light comes from behind Buck and Eddie is technically standing in the dark, the light coming from Buck's direction

In conclusion:

Buck is Eddie's sun, his hope, his joy, his bright future

his gay awakening

-

I do think it's definitely intentional in the locker room scene

Not too sure about the three of them on the bed and the insane Buckley Diaz shot

Idk idk

I just wanted to spill my thoughts and go a bit crazy and I KNOW I'm completely reaching, especially with the bedroom scenes

So yeah anyway... I guess Buddie canon

😏

Also the curtains reminded me so much of Chris' shirt from 6x11

You know with the whole father son theme....

#Buddie #7x01 #7x01 meta #evan buckley #eddie diaz #911 abc #Yeah no I hardly believe it myself #Expect from the locker room #Honestly #That was sooooo obvious #I think that's my most delusional post yet 🤣

[dollypopup]

y'all can all cancel me (again) for this, but if there's even a SHRED of 'who should I pick?' from Penelope in season 3, I am tuning out SO fast because like. . .sorry not sorry, there IS no choice. Debling is some crusty OC suitor she barely even knows and Colin is a man who she has been so supposedly in love with to the point where she'd ruin her entire family's reputation to have a potential love story with him. Penelope and Colin have background, years of knowing each other, intimacy that few people in the Ton can boast of having (letters, conversations about purpose, fights and arguments and makeups) and her and Debling have. . .a dance or two at a ball because he's a rebound for Penelope's broken heart. he means nothing. he has no nuance, he has no weight to the story, he is such an afterthought to me. either I wanna see Penelope going 'you know what? I don't even LIKE this dude. he's. . .fine, but I don't care about him even a shred as much as I care about Colin' or the INSTANT Colin's like 'you know what? we should get married' if it's not an immediate 'say less, you're already my husband, try returning me without the receipt, Debling whomst?' then I don't want it!

like. . .it's just so frustrating to see all the 'I hope Debling sweeps her off her feet and she rejects Colin's proposal and she makes him work for it and and and-' nonsense from the fandom and it's always tagged and no matter how many times I block it, it just keeps popping up. I go into the Polin tag for POLIN. I don't give a SHIT about a male love interest other than Colin. Not one. Not a shred. Not an iota.

and also. . .Debling has the 'benefit' of not having depth, or character traits, or HISTORY, so peeps can project onto him however they want, but I'm calling it now, there is NOTHING he could do or be that would make me like him more than Colin. Colin will always hit different, and I will always love him more. and if Pen's not on that same page? lol bye

you want me to believe Penelope and Colin are soulmates and it's romance for her to hem and haw about how difficult a decision it is for her to marry a stranger who knows barely anything about her. . .

when Marina was out here dropping banger lines like 'You were the only man with which I could see myself being happy' and 'I do not care about any of these men, where is Colin?'? like hello??? and she wasn't even fully in love with him!!!! but we'll demonize her until the cows come home in our fandom and make her the villain in Polin's love story for DARING to get in between Polin, yet Debling, a white man, is a darling dear perfect prince for getting in between Polin? existing in our fandom solely so Penelope can be like 'lol, Colin ain't shit, let me entertain any and everyone else'?

if that's the direction it goes then, ten toes down and on my mama, she doesn't deserve Colin and she can move because I'm on my way to court him my damn self

and that's that on that

#you know what? lol it's been a bit since i've posted a controversial opinion #tagging it #polin #sorry not sorry i ship polin. . .so i wanna see. . .polin. . .and i'm getting damn sick and tired #of all the bullshit pen/oc pen/other dude theories and stories in the polin tag #and i don't want polin to lose screentime over a frankly bleh male oc #you can't change my mind #if i don't see at least marina's 'you've seen him with the little bridgertons!' level of squee and 'i only want to talk to colin' #levels of devotion then i don't fucking WANT IT!!!!! #yeah definitely try out the marriage market #realize that NO ONE has a good time on the marriage market #try to get over him w/ whomstever #but then be like 'i don't even LIKE this dude where's colin i miss him' about it!!!!! #because otherwise i am not here #i am asleep #and i am courting colin in your place pen #i'm coming for your man #anti debling #if debling has 100 haters i am one of them if he has 10 haters i'm one of them if he has 1 hater i am the hater if he has 0 haters i'm dead #it's incredibly obvious that 'pebling' is half rooted in a revenge storyline fueled by anger at Colin and his complexity #and half a projection of wanting Penelope to have 'choices' because she is a representation and manifestation of the fans themselves #and so people think an OC that can be 'perfect' for them- whoops I mean Pen (because he doesn't have any real depth or interest) #he's a cardboard cutout we can throw whatever you want onto #so we can make him 'perfect' instead of the much more meaningful storyline of pen and colin both being messy and loving each other more #and part of it is bitterness over Polin not being insta-love #which. . .if it was i wouldn't like them as much as i do #anyways y'all ain't slick #and it's fucking WEIRD to be in a fandom that's like 'i ship this couple but i hope she gets with ANYONE else' #maybe you. . .don't ship the couple?? #like. . .to the point of wanting her necklace to be from debling. . .and her wearing it everywhere??? WHAT??

[rainbowpufflez]

Fine, I’ll admit that I like Lysandre 😔

#queue the ‘we all know Bo’ #I mean it was definitely obvious from the beginning #and I’ve somewhat said I do in a few posts #and considering the amount of times I’ve drawn him should’ve definitely given it away /lh #the funniest part about me liking him is that I actually straight up don’t #I just I think I hate him so vehemently and deeply that I’ve 180 back to liking him #LIKE WHY ARE U PREOCCUPYING MY BRAIN #LIKE GET OUT OR LIKE PAY ME U FUCKING ASSHOLE #literally I can’t stress enough how unlikable he is #and then I see him and I get locked in #I cringe literally everytime I talk to him #maybe it was cause his ass has been haunting me for the past few months #I GOT SOCIALLY CONDITIONED /hj #like he makes my blood boil sm #when I pointed out that he holds himself like he’s insecure on Pasio to my friend and they went #‘someone who doesn’t like a character wouldn’t have noticed that’ #or when they pulled the ‘true hate is indifference’ on me 😭 #I mean I have always said I have to hate a character before I start liking them #so yeah I’m still gonna be really fucking mean to Orange Peel but unfortunately it means I actually like him #the most insufferable man in all Kalos and I’m still like ‘guess I better draw him again/think about him 24/7’ #WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME #I HOPE U KNOW IM STILL KILLING HIM FOR ALL THE BS HE PULLS THO #rainbowpufflez rambles

[heartslobbf]

[ID: eight shots from the anime ‘revolutionary girl utena’ with extracts of black text edited onto them. the first is of young utena silhouetted in her princess dress before her parents’ graves, framed by pink roses. text reads: ‘what is the family?’

akio’s tower at night. text reads: ‘so deep runs the idea that the family is the exclusive place’

utena and nanami sharing the bed in akio’s tower, nanami with her back turned to utena. text reads: ‘where people are safe,’

anthy and akio feeding kanae a slice of apple in the planetarium. she appears not fully conscious. text reads: ‘where people come from,’

touga staring out of a window in akio’s tower, his face obscured by his hair and a cactus held to his bare chest. text reads: ‘where people are made,’

utena and akio standing by three coffins, one of which is open and contains utena’s younger self. text reads: ‘and where people belong,’

anthy, naked and curled in on herself inside her coffin, as light streams in on the right side of the frame. text reads: ‘it doesn’t even feel like an idea anymore.’

anthy standing at the ohtori academy gates in her pink outfit, smiling. text reads: ‘let us unpick it, then.’ /end ID]

revolutionary girl utena (1997) / sophie lewis, abolish the family: a manifesto for care and liberation

#look at my thesis on utena and family boy #and yes. the shots from in the tower are purposefully from in the tower :) #revolutionary girl utena #rgu #web weaving #shut up daisy #ok to say a little more; my post i made about rgu and family recently explains all of this honestly #but like. where people come from as kanae is so interesting bc it’s like #that is HER home. her family that the man that comes to kill her has married into. so yeah lots there #my touga choice is. interesting and i have a lot of thoughts about it but tldr family is v detrimental as a concept to him #and has defined his persona for soooooo long in such a toxic way #safe i think is obvious. sad #where people belong!!!!!!!!!!! love that one :) #and anthy. waugh. anthyyyyyyyyyyyy

[schnaf]

how to flex your muscles when your bandmate asks you for help without making it obvious

#xdinary heroes #gunil #jun han #goo gunil #han hyeongjun #i hope the how to flex when [thing] without making it obvious guy is common knowledge #i think about him very often #especially when it comes to gunil and ode #ugh coloring this gifset felt like... idk #retouching a photo from the 1800s or stuff #it was very.... colorless #choices were made in post production. not good ones tho #they probably tried to cover up the speck on the camera lens #also i had already all subs and texts and stuff removed #but then the gifs had like 10 thick blurred spots so yeah no #but ugh i loved this video #and i was looking forward to watching part 2 (yep i'm catching up with old videos again) #and then part 2 was.... not as much fun as part 1 #ok but also the reason why i decided to gif this moment #gunil may try to be like 💪 but he's so babygirl!!!! #if you have seen this post before.... no you haven't ♥ #(i had this post in my queue and wanted to check it again on mobile and then i hit post on accident 😫😫😫)